1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of receptacles for holding objects and in particular for holding trash and waste. The present invention further relates to the field of liners for trash containers into which objects to be discarded are placed. The present invention additionally relates to the field of disposable trash container liners and to apparatus which are used to retain and dispense such trash container liners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, trash container liners are well known in the prior art. Such liners frequently come in packages in which the individual liners may be removed from a box or carton and thereafter opened and placed into the trash container such as a garbage can. A major flaw with prior art trash container liners is that they must be individually opened and placed in the garbage container. Frequently, during a busy work schedule, people forget to place such trash container liners in the garbage container or alternatively merely drop them into the garbage container without properly affixing the liners to the rim of the garbage container so that the trash container liner is not fully opened and ready to receive garbage. Since such liners must be stored in closets or other locations remote from the garbage container, forgetting to use the liner is a frequent occurrence.
Ordinarily not using the trash container liner or installing it improperly is not a major problem since the only negative result is that trash goes directly into the garbage container, thereby causing the container to become dirty and necessitating a thorough washing of the container. However, in situations where the trash container is used in facilities such as a hospital or nursing home, the problem becomes much more serious. In hospitals and nursing homes, contaminated objects such as used bandages and gauze, used syringes, etc. are thrown into the garbage container. If a trash container liner is properly installed, then the cleaning person merely lifts up the liner and ties it at the top and discards it, without having to touch any of the contaminated objects. However, if the liner is not used or if it is not properly installed and contaminated trash is thrown directly into the trash container, then the cleaning person frequently must touch the contaminated object to throw it into a disposal unit or else wash and clean the garbage container interior which has come in direct contact with the contaminated material, thereby risking infection and possible contraction of disease.
Therefore, there is a significant need for an object which can create a situation where the trash container liner is located in a manner which will always cause it to be used to line the interior of trash containers and further be oriented such that the trash container liner can also be properly installed in the trash container.